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Violence versus Nonviolence in Politics and Film Is Focus of Public Forum at Barnard College
New York, NY-- Barnard College will present a 12-part free public forum on Tuesday evenings September 7 through November 30 by its distinguished political theorist Dennis Dalton on political power, violence and nonviolence through history as highlighted in major feature films and award-winning documentaries. A prominent scholar of Mahatma Gandhi and one of the Barnard faculty's exceptional classroom lecturers, Dalton will discuss theories of political power, violence and nonviolence using excerpts from powerful films like the Nazi-era's Triumph of the Will and Night and Fog , the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War-focused Eyes on the Prize and Fog of War and the current favorites, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism . Each two-hour program will begin with an introduction to the films, placing them within the context of political theory, followed by film excerpts. During the final hour, Dalton will open the forum to debate and discussion by the audience . On several evenings, Dalton will be joined by filmmakers and guest lecturers, including Oct. 26 when Fahrenheit 9/11 archival researchers Carl Deal and Lewanne Jones will join him for "What We Forgot: Iraq."
The series will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Lehman Auditorium, 202 Altschul Hall on Barnard's campus at 3009 Broadway at West 117 th Street.
The major theme of the series will be the competing theories and practices of violence and nonviolence and their impact or implications for today. Dalton will discuss ancient theories of violence and nonviolence, idealism versus realism from Lao-Tzu and Thucydides, as well as modern views by Freud and Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil." The series will use noted examples of feature films ( Gandhi, A Bronx Tale, Malcolm X, Boyz N the Hood and Platoon, among others) and documentaries to explore ideas about the causes of violence; the debate between idealist and realist views of politics and war; whether violence is situational as argued by Stanley Milgram in his famous experiment with obedience to authority; nonviolent action versus passive resistance; restorative versus retaliatory justice; the economic roots of violence and racism; and the power of nonviolent non-cooperation against a totalitarian regime.
In addition to exploring the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust, including nonviolent resistance by European Christians, the series ranges from analysis of the theories of Hobbes and Machiavelli, to the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, to the current conflicts in the Middle East. As it explores the relevance of political theory to the present, the series will examine problems in the local neighborhood; the second event in the series will include a discussion about Harlem and Columbia's relationship to it.
The series opens September 7 with "The Quintessential Example of Violence: Hitler and the Holocaust," including screen excerpts from two historic documentaries, Triumph of the Will, detailing the rise of Hitler, and Night and Fog , illustrating the tragic consequences of the Nazi regime. The following segments explore topics such as "Violence to the Community," "The Potential Violence of Blind Obedience," and "The Quintessential Example of Nonviolence: Gandhi's Independence Movement."
On September 14, excerpts from the film Stuck in Harlem , will be screened with guest speakers Ben Armstead, the star of the film, and filmmakers Courtney Martin and Nikolai Johnson. On November 16, Dalton will suggest the relevance of Machiavelli's The Prince to the current political scene through screened excerpts from the new documentary Outfoxed , which examines Fox News and the dangers of media empires' control of the public's right to know.
There will be no session on Election Day, Nov. 2. The following Tuesday, Nov. 9 will be devoted to an analysis of the election results, with relevant insights into the country's political direction.
Dalton, who has taught political theory and political movements at Barnard College since 1969, specializes in political thought in South Asia and has written numerous books and articles on Gandhi and the politics of nonviolence. He has also written on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, and lectured on civic responsibility in democracy. Alongside the lecture series, Dalton will be teaching a course on political theory this fall. He has written a study of Gandhi's thought and leadership, titled Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action (Columbia University Press paperback) and edited Mahatma Gandhi: Selected Political Writings (Hackett Publishers paperback).
SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Introduction to the Public Forum on Political Theory and Film
"The Quintessential Example of Violence: Hitler and the Holocaust"
Screening of documentaries Triumph of the Will and Night and Fog
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
"Violence to the Community: Gentrification and Causes of Violence"
Screening of Stuck in Harlem , with guest speakers Ben Armstead, Courtney Martin, and Nikolai Johnson
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
"The Potential Violence of Blind Obedience"
Screening of film on Stanley Milgram's 'Obedience' experiments, the documentary Quiet Rage from the Discovering Psychology series, and the documentary by 60 Minutes, "AWOL in Iraq"
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
"The Quintessential Example of Nonviolence: Gandhi's Independence Movement"
Screening of excerpts from Gandhi and A Force More Powerful
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
"Facing the Holocaust with Nonviolent Resistance from Christians in Europe"
Screening of excerpts from the documentary Weapons of the Spirit and Stand Firm: Against Nazi Assault
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
"Martin Luther King, Jr.: the Beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery"
Screening of excerpts from documentary Eyes on the Prize and from feature film A Long Walk Home
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
"What We Learned: Vietnam"
Screening of excerpts from Fog of War, Platoon, and Hearts and Minds
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
"What We Forgot: Iraq"
Screening of excerpts from Fahrenheit 9/11 , guest speakers Carl Deal and Lewanne Jones
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Postmortem analysis of election results from the perspectives shared here of film and political theory
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
"Realism in Political Theory: Machiavelli's Prince "
Screenings from the feature film A Bronx Tale and the documentary Outfoxed
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
"The Realism of Thomas Hobbes, Philosopher of Fear"
Screening of excerpts from documentary Bowling for Columbine and the feature film of Orwell's 1984
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
"Malcolm and Martin: What are Their Legacies?"
Screening of excerpts from Spike Lee's feature film Malcolm X , interview with Malcolm on 60 Minutes , and Boyz N the Hood
For more information, please contact: Petra Tuomi in the Barnard Office of Public Affairs, 212-854-7907, ptuomi@barnard.edu
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